Centerless grinding machine



Aug 19 1947- A A. T. PVl-:TERsoN 2,425,897

CENTERLESS GRINDING MACHINE Filed July 20, 41945 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jy f..

" E xeZi-'m Aug. 19, 1947. A. 1'. PETERSON 2,425,397

GENTERLESS GRINDING MACHINEy Filed Jul;r 20, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,g 4,

Patented Aug. 19, 1947 CENTERLESS GRINDING MACHINE Axel T. Peterson, NewLenox, Ill., assignorto Wm. E. Pratt Mfg. Co., a corporation of IllinoisApplication July 20, 1945, Serial No. 606,197

'6 Claims.

This invention relates to a grinding machine and more particularly suchmachine having a novel arrangement Iof parts for grinding taperedproducts on a centerless grinder.

Among the objects of my invention are to provide a novel and improvedcenterless grinding machine; to provide such machine in which aregulating wheel and work carrier travel together as a unit during thegrinding cycle, thus permitting through feeding of such items as taperedrolls and other conical or frusto-conical articles; :to provide animproved machine for grinding tapered parts for use in tapered rollerbearings and the like; to provide a novel machine of the ltype referredto in which the article being Worked upon may be ground either taperedor straight as desired, or a straight piece can be ground tapered, or atapered piece can be ground straight, the taper, or lack of taper, inthe reguylating wheel controlling the taper or lack of taper in thenished Work; to provide a machine in which the regulating Wheel may bepivotally mounted and movable to control the degree of taper imparted tothe work; to provide a machine in which a plurality of regulating wheelsmay be used for grinding a plurality of pieces of work simultaneously ifdesired; to provide a novel work carrier blade and associatedparts; andsuch further objects, advantages and capabilities, inherently possessedby my invention, as will later more fully appear.

My invention further resides in the combination, construction andarrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and WhileI have shown therein for illustrative purposes only, a preferredembodiment, I wish it understood that the same is susceptible ofmodification `and change without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

In the drawings:

Fig. `1 is an end elevation, with the machine bed partly broken away, ofa centerless grinding machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section on the line 3 3 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of my new machine looking toward the righthand side of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the grinding wheel,the work carrier blade, and associated parts, with the regulating wheelomitted for the sake of clearness, and showing the work in position.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, my improved centerlessgrinding machine comprises a bed l upon the upper surface of which, andtoward one side, is xed a ibase 2 haa/ing guideways '3 in which :areslidably mounted Acomplementary guide members d of the llongitudinallymovable table 53. Mounted upon -the lupper side of table 5 is theupstanding housing or bracket for rotatably mounting the regulatingwheel 6, which housing comprises .a pair .of laterally spaced apartuprights 'l and 8, in a .pair Vof aligned bores in the upper vends ofwhich is mounted the drive .shaft 19 which is provided with power meansfor rotating .the regulating'wheel.

The bed l is provided With la pair of .upright standards `vlil and II,rotatably mounted in the upper .ends of which isa shaft I2, upon whichis Xe-dly mounted the lgrinding wheel I3, `there being providedsuitable'fastening members I- and If5 on eachzsidefoi the grinding`wheel to reinforce and facilitate the mounting oi the same.

As noted in Figs. 1 3 the grinding vwheel I- 3 and the regulating wheel`Ei are positioned closely adjacent each other to receive thework 'I6being passed therebetween for grinding ,to the :required shape anddimensions. Fixed `to .the .bed i and upstanding therefrom is the feedWork rest :i1 which is positioned -closely adjacent .the *base ;2 andtable 5, and in lvertical alignment with the space between the activefaces of the vgrinding `wheel and the regulating wheel. Fixed fto Itheupper portion of feed Work rest Il and `upstanding therefrom is a Vworksupporting blade I S having its upper longitudinal edge formed with abevel I9 for'suppcrtng the Awork in 'the most effective manner. Feedwork vsupporting blade I8, as will be understood, is stationary withrelation to the-bed vI and thegrinding Wheel supporting standards 4IUand II.

Fixed upon the upper face of the table 5 and adjacent the inner sidethereof are a lpair of -upstanding angularly positioned brackets orsupporting -legs20 and 2 I. Secured to the upper end of brackets 20 and2| and extending longitudinally therebetween and carried thereby duringlongitudinal movement ofthe table, is a work kcarrier blade 22 extendinghorizontally a substantial distance on each side of the grinding WheelI3. The inner longitudinal corner of the bottom vedge of the workcarrier blade 22 is closely adjacent ,to the upper edge of the Worksupporting blade I8. Work carrier blade V22, as seen in Fig. 5 isprovided in its lower edge with an upstanding slot `23 open'at'itsbottom edge and in which slot is adapted to be positioned the work pieceIS-as it passes between the faces ofthe grinding wheel and theregulating Wheel. Any suitablenumber of such slots may be provided asdesired, additional ones of such slots being suggested by the dottedlines a and b.

As noted in Figs. 1-3 the outer active face of the grinding wheel I3 isfiat and at right angles to the side walls of the grinding wheel, whilethe regulating wheel 6 is shown with a beveled active face. It is to beunderstood however, that the active faces of the grinding wheel and theregulating wheel may be varied as desired regarding whether either orboth thereof are straight or beveled.

In order that the regulating wheel 6 may be adjusted when desired in anangular direction, it is mounted upon the table 5 by means of a bolt 24positioned in an elongated slot 25, which slot permits the standards 'Iand 8 of the regulating wheel 6 to be moved forwardly or backwardly withrelation to the grinding wheel, and permit the regulating wheel and itssupporting standards to be pivoted to any desired angle about the axisof the bolt 24, and the bolt then tightened. In this connection it ispointed out that if it is desired to have the regulating wheel rigidlyxed to the table at all times, the same can be accomplished by twoseparate standards I and 8 fixed separately to the table, or if it isdesired to have the regulating wheel pivotally adjustable upon the tablethe standards l and 3 will extend upwardly from a single :dat base inwhich is formed the slot 25. As shown in Figure 1 the bottom end of bolt24 is formed with a head 26 positioned in an open ended T-shaped slot 2lformed in the table 5. By positioning the regulating wheel and itsstandards in their desired position, angularly or otherwise, and thentightening the nut of bolt 24 the regulating wheel may thus be fixed inany position desired on the table to give the desired conformation tothe article being ground as it passes between the grinding wheel and theregulating wheel.

The driving shafts 9 and l2 of the regulating wheel and the grindingwheel, are each driven by an independent source of power such as a motoror any other suitable prime mover (not shown) so that these wheels willhave a constant speed with independent power drive. The taper on theacting face or" the regulating wheel controls the taper on the parts tobe ground. If desired, the regulating wheel can be used with a straightface, without taper, and the regulating wheel pivoted as desired aboutthe bolt 24 to give the required taper to the work. By providing aplurality of slots in the work carrier blade 22, a plurality of piecesmay be ground simultaneously either upon the same grinding wheel if itsface is wide enough, or if desired a plurality of grinding wheels andregulating wheels may be used. It is also to be kept in mind that thework carrier blade 22 pulls the work through the grinding cycle but doesnot hold the work in any way from a standpoint of supporting it, anddoes not interfere with the grinding operation as the work passesbetween the faces of the grinding wheel and the regulating wheel. Aswill be understood from the above the regulating wheel keeps the workbeing ground from spinning and holds it to the proper revolutions andtaper of work to be ground. It is also to be noted that pieces of workcan be ground in my improved device by either the small end or large endof the pieces of work starting through first, the degree and dimensionof taper being controlled by the adjacentfaces of the grinding wheel andthe regulating wheel.

lIt is important to note that the table, supporting standards of theregulating wheel, the regulating wheel, the brackets 20 and 2| and thework carrier blade 22 move together as a unit as the table moveslongitudinally on the base 2. The longitudinal movement of the table 5may be effected in any desired manner such as hydraulic or electricpower, or by compressed air or by suitable hand operation. The grindingwheel will be made of any suitable abrasive material, and the regulatingwheel will be made of any suitable material such as cast iron, steel, orrubber composition, or any ferrous or nonferrous material as desired.The work carrier blade supporting brackets 20 and 2| are securely andsolidly fastened to the table 5 in order to have the work receivingslots in line with the work supporting blade and the space between thegrinding wheel and the regulating wheel. It will be understood that thepieces of work passing through the machines, when the parts are adjustedas desired, can be ground straight or tapered, or a straight -piece canbe ground tapered as well as a tapered piece ground tapered.

From the above it will be understood that the piece of work IB will bepositioned in the slot 23 of the work carrier blade 22 and be carriedalong between the faces of the grinding wheel and the regulating wheel,the work resting upon the upper edges of the work supporting blade andbeing pushed through its travel between the grinding wheel andregulating wheel by one end of the slot 23. This enables positivecontrol of the article being worked upon as it passes through thecenterless grinding machine and provides a machine of greatly increasedefficient and productivity, as well as a machine having a noveladjusting means and a greater range of accessibility.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. A centerless grinding machine, comprising, a stationary bed, agrinding wheel rotatably mounted on the bed, a stationary work rest onsaid bed and having fixed thereto a work supporting blade, alongitudinally movable table on the bed, a work carrier blade, bracketmeans xed at its lower end to the table and at its upper end to the workcarrier blade, bearing supporting means mounted on the table, aregulating wheel rotatably mounted on the bearing supporting means, thework carrier blade and regulating wheel being longitudinally movablewith the table to carry the work in contact with the grinding wheellaterally across its face, said bearing supporting means being bodilyadjustable both longitudinally and laterally with relation to themoveable table.

2. A centerless grinding machine, comprising, a stationary bed,I agrinding wheel rotatably mounted on the bed, a stationary work rest onsaid bed and having fixed thereto a work supporting blade, alongitudinally movable table on the bed, a work carrier blade, bracketmeans fixed at its lower end to the table and at its upper end to thework carrier blade, bearing supporting means mounted on the table, aregulating wheel rotatably mounted on the bearing supporting means, thework carrier blade and regulating wheel being longitudinally movablewith the table to carry the work in contact with the grinding wheellaterally across its face, the work carrier blade being formed withmeans for positively guiding the work between the grinding wheel and theregulating wheel as the table moves longitudinally along the bed, saidbearing supporting means being bodily adjustable both longitudinally andlaterally with relation to the moveable table.

3. A centerless grinding machine, comprising, a stationary bed member, atable longitudinally slidable with relation to the bed, a grinding Wheelrotatably mounted on said bed member, a Work supporting bladestationarily mounted on the bed member, a regulating wheel rotatablymounted in bearing supports on the table, an upstanding bracket memberxed to said table on each side of the regulating Wheel, an elongatedvvork oarrier blade fixed to each of the bracket members immediatelyabove the work supporting blade, the Work carrier blade and regulatingWheel being movable as a unit along the face of the grinding Wheel andthe Work carrier blade being movable along and close to the upper edgeof the stationary Work supporting blade, said bearing supports beingbodily adjustable longitudinally, laterally and angularly with relationto said table.

4. A centerless grinding machine, comprising, a stationary bed member, atable longitudinally slidable with relation to the bed, a grinding Wheelrotatably mounted on said bed member, a Work supporting bladestationarily mounted on the bed member, a regulating wheel rotatablymounted in bearing supports on the table, an upstanding bracket memberXed to said table on each side of the regulating wheel, an elongatedWork carrier blade fixed to each of the bracket members immediatelyabove the Work supporting blade, the work carrier blade and regulatingwheel being movable as a unit along the face of the grinding wheel andthe Work carrier blade being movable along and close to the upper edgeof the stationary Work supporting blade, the Work carrier blade having aslot in its lower face to rotatably receive an article to be ground andadvance the same longitudinally along the face of the grinding Wheelwith the article in contact with the upper edge of the stationary Worksupporting blade, said bearing supports being bodily adjustablelongitudinally, laterally and angularly with relation to said table.

5. A centerless grinding machine, comprising, a stationary bed member, atable longitudinally slidable with relation to the bed, a grinding Wheelrotatably mounted on said bed member, a work supporting bladestationarily mounted on the bed member, a regulating Wheel rotatablymounted in bearing supports on the table, an upstanding bracket memberiixed to said table on each side of the regulating wheel, an elongatedWork carrier blade Xed to each of the bracket members immediately abovethe Work supporting blade, the work carrier blade and regulating Wheelbeing movable as a unit along the face of the grinding wheel and thework carrier blade being movable along and close to the upper edge ofthe stationary Work supporting blade, the grinding wheel and theregulating wheel being rotated at constant surface speeds with relationto each other, said bearing supports having a base formed with a slotfor lateral adjustment bodily of the regulating Wheel with relation tothe table, said table being formed with a longitudinally extendinggroove for adjustment of the bearing supports longitudinally of thetable, and releasable tightening means in said slot and said groove forcontrolling said adjustments.

6. A centerless grinding machine, comprising, a grinding Wheel, astationary Work rest having a work supporting blade xed thereon, amovable table, a Work carrier blade, `a bracket fixed to said table andto said Work carrier blade, a regulating Wheel, and bearing means uponwhich the regulating wheel is rotatably mounted, the table, bracket,work carrier blade, regulating Wheel and bearing means all being movabletogether as a unit, said bearing means being both longitudinally andlaterally adjustable with relation to the movable table, the workcarrier blade being formed in its lovver edge with a slot adapted toreceive and carry the work along the face of the grinding Wheel andalong the stationary Work rest.

AXEL T. PETERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,575,520 Archea Mar. 2, 19261,611,135 Sanford Dec. 14, 1926 2,356,850 Horberg Aug. 29, 1944 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 354,498 England Aug. 31, 1931 668,935Germany Feb. 4, 1935

